Over the past week, Tamil Nadu’s beloved deity, Lord Murugan, emerged as a social media sensation, wielding not his traditional vel (spear) but using the power of memes to combat communal disharmony.
As a cloud of communal discord hung over the ancient hill temple of Thiruparankundram, where a Murugan shrine peacefully coexisted with a Muslim dargah for centuries, the state govt orchestrated a digital campaign. They flooded social media platforms with images of the god in contemporary avatars — riding peacocks with Muslims, being hoisted by people of different faiths, and leading children of diverse backgrounds in joyful unity.
“Memes speak louder than manifestos,” says P K Sekarbabu, HR&CE Minister, whose department spearheaded the campaign after recent attempts by certain groups to disturb the area’s communal harmony. “We wanted to remind youth about Tamil Nadu’s unique DNA of religious harmony.”
The govt also released a series of videos with people of the area explaining how they coexisted peacefully for centuries and that the “trouble” was caused by an “outsider’s mischief.” Devaraj Athisayaraj, a research scholar on Madurai, says, “Since the 1800s, Hindus and Muslims have been living together peacefully. There are many areas in Madurai such as Mahaboob Palayam and Kajima Street named after Muslims. Sabarimala devotees from other states also visit the Sikandar dargah.”
The Kalinja Malai in Arittapati also has a dargah and temple, says Tamizh Dasan, a cultural ecologist from Madurai. “In all these places, Muslims invite Hindus for their festivals and vice versa.”
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